A simple method for systematically controlling ZnO crystal size and growth orientation

We present a simple, easy and reproducible method to systematically control the dimension and shape evolution of zinc oxide (ZnO) as thin film on glass substrate by chemical bath deposition (CBD). The only varying factor to control crystal transformation is the molar ratio of Cd2+/Zn2+, Rm, in the initial chemical solution. With the increase of Rm, ZnO crystals transformed from long-and-slim hexagonal rods to fat-and-short hexagonal pyramids, and then to twinning hexagonal dots as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Film crystallinity was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Chemical component analysis by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) showed that most cadmium was present in the residual solution instead of the developed film and the precipitate at the bottom of beaker. The mechanism of the cadmium effect, with different initial concentrations, on ZnO crystal transformation was tentatively addressed. We believe that cadmium influences the chelate ligands adsorption onto image plane of ZnO crystals, alters the crystal growth orientation, and thus directs the transformation of the size and shape of ZnO crystals.